Established in 1998, KIS International School offers the full continuum of International Baccalaureate programs to students from age 3 to 18. KIS Bangkok is the only school to offer all four IB programs. The school now serves over 800 students from 50 nationalities.

KIS receives over 600 enquiries per year and nearly 400 applications. In 2010, the school transitioned to an online application process. The admissions team tried two other providers before implementing OpenApply in 2013. They use nearly 20 different forms to collect information, and process almost 400 applications each year. Before OpenApply, the team was manually managing over 4,000 paper forms!

Centralised Data

OpenApply’s centralised database enables the KIS admissions team to easily track information such as the number of incoming enquiries, applications and assessments booked. This results in more accurate information, improved internal communication and easier reporting. “OpenApply helps with keeping track of admissions, because it can get crazy sometimes with applications and enquiries – we can be sure we don’t miss anyone,” explains Digital Marketing Supervisor/Admissions Coordinator, Anthony Fibleuil.

With everything in one place, OpenApply has made working with multiple stakeholders far simpler for the KIS admissions team. “It allows us to share data and connect on one platform with academic leadership, counsellors and other departments within the school, keeping everything in one central location and allowing us to collaborate with other divisions and departments,” comments Câline Fonteneau, the school’s Director of Admissions and Marketing.

This collaborative element, combined with the data available and a user-friendly API, means OpenApply comes in useful for decision-making, particularly when it comes to leveraging data to achieve executive committee buy-in. “I think OpenApply has been very helpful in being able to show data and metrics to push forward decisions at the board level,” says Câline.

Centralised Communications

Anthony agrees, adding that with so many stakeholders involved in admissions – such as the principal, school counsel and finance team – it inevitably generates a lot of emails. “So now we’re using OpenApply to share and have access to report cards, quotations, teacher recommendations from the other schools – that’s speeding up the process. There’s a single point of introduction for everybody.”

Câline concurs,“Having that central location for multiple stakeholders to collaborate and work together, and for admissions teams to have a place where they document everything – you don’t need to wait for a person to answer an email or have a meeting with someone, as the information’s all in the system.”

And that’s not the only benefit. Having data, activity and communication centralised makes it easy for any admissions team member to deal with incoming calls whether the caller’s go-to contact is in the office or not, with a contact and communications history stored for easy reference.

“OpenApply is designed to have all that information tracked and it’s very, very visible in the activity log – you can see, for example, what the last communication was that this family saw,” Câline explains. “When we had a bunch of people on vacation this summer, I was easily able to step in when somebody called.” Being able to see what letters families have been sent makes handling even difficult conversations much easier. “It really allows for accountability and a better experience,” says Câline.

It’s easier for busy parents, too, with a user-friendly interface saving them time by allowing them to complete forms on any device, and automatically completing duplicate information across forms. Not only that, but it enables parents to upload required documents directly to the system and track remaining admissions requirements.

Future Plans

Behind the scenes, the support KIS has received from the OpenApply team has been an important part of the school’s success with the platform. “I knew I could rely on the OpenApply support team,” says Anthony, who singles out Customer Support Specialist Alex Vallance for particular praise. “He will always be here to go above and beyond – really amazing support.”

The future looks bright for KIS, with the imminent opening of a second campus. “As a school ecosystem, we are utilising more of OpenApply’s tools,” Câline concludes. “I think we’re in it for the long haul!”